Fuel Tank Refurbishing Questions

[bgk]

One of my winter projects is to refurbish a GS fuel tank.

I sent the tank to a radiator shop and they chemically de-rusted and steam cleaned the interior and then applied a red coating throughout the interior to prevent future rust and leaks.

My next step is the exterior of the tank, which has factory-original paint and pinstripes, and is variously scratched, faded, slightly rusty and slightly dented in a few places. There is no evidence of any other damage or any previous repair.

I have an agreement with an auto body shop that owes me a favor. The deal is that if I do the dent and scratch repair and related “prep” work and spray primer paint the tank with an aerosol spray can, they will finish paint it and clear coat it with their expensive professional equipment.

The tank will be finish-painted with DuPont Chromabase BC from a can I already own (already mixed to match one of my bikes) and then clear-coated with whatever the shop typically uses.

I’m getting two different opinions on prep work, one from a friend and one from the auto body supply shop that is selling me the supplies.

One opinion is to totally strip the tank with Aircraft Stripper, and then work from bare metal. The other opinion is to use different grits of wet/dry sandpaper with an angle grinder and hand sanding block and only sand to bare metal the areas that are rusted and/or dented, and just lightly sand the rest, before applying the "Bondo" and finish sanding, etc..

It’s really cold in New England in February, and the stripper needs to be applied in a well-ventilated area, which essentially means outside, whereas I can do sanding inside.

What are your collective GSR thoughts on this?

Can anybody post a link to a step-by-step set of paint prep directions on the Internet? (I’ve read the one here on the GSR, but it’s for lacquer paint.)

I’ve never done any bodywork before, but I’ve got time, tools, patience, a warm basement shop in my house, and at least half a brain!.

Wowza, just buying the prep stuff at the auto body supply shop is going to cost me around $100.

[Country00]

Paint Prep

Take it all the way to bare metal. Hand sand it if you have to. Then sand the metal smooth and start from there.I've done it both ways and this works best for me. It's the only way to get the whole tank right before you paint.

[duaneage]

I stripped an 850 tank with strip-eez and used sandpaper on the rust spots. Try to avoid a grinder, the metal gets hot and distorts.

Don't use rustoleum primer. Don't use rustoleum primer.Don't use rustoleum primer.Don't use rustoleum primer.Don't use rustoleum primer.Don't use rustoleum primer.

There , that should be enough. I used a can of primer made by Bondo and it was pretty good stuff. Ideally I would ask the body shop for their recommendation on what primer to use. Your filling, sanding and priming so they won't have a problem with advising you on what to use since the final job depends on it.

When filling the dents a little bondo at a time is the way to go. Real thin layers sanded smooth with glazing putty as a final step. Rmember that paint never hides defects, it makes them apparent.

Show us some pics when your working on it and when it is done

[ccratin]

I've stripped both of the ones I've down down to bare. I know 8trackmind would tell you that if the paint is holding and is the original, you don't need to sand it off. However, with the amount of dent repair I was doing, I just felt it was easier to strip it. Yes, the methylene chloride needs to vent out and you need to wear a respirator. It's bad news, but it does work! There are some "safe" strippers out there if you wanted to try them. The body work just takes lots of patience. I used regular bondo for repairs and then the bondo finishing glaze putty. Didn't spend anywhere close to $100. You may be buying way more than you need. I used the pint size of bondo for two tanks. I still have 2/3 of the tube of glazing putty. I've basically bought all the supplies at the local auto chain store.

[8trackmind]

I know 8trackmind would tell you that if the paint is holding and is the original, you don't need to strip it.

Run with it Chris, I'm staying out of the paint advice buisness...[-( :-D

[renobruce]

Why don't you have the body shop prep the tank? The prep is the most important part of the paint job. And some paints require certain primers in order for the paint to "stick". If you are set on doing it yourself, go with what the painter says to use.

[duaneage]

I agree with using the primer recommended by the shop but I respectfuly disagree with having them prep it because it can be done at home and that may represent up to half the cost of the job. But considering the weather and the chemicals used RenoBruce is probably right about letting them do it all.

[bgk]

Duaneage has it right, but there is slightly more to it. The reason that I want to prep the tank myself is that I’m concerned that the shop will charge me too much for the prep work, to make up for the “free” paint job that they owe me.

The reason that I’m getting the repaint is because the body shop did not clearcoat the paint job they did for me last year, and fuel vapor coming out of the fuel cap/vent caused the paint to bubble all around the fuel filler neck area. When I called the shop, the owner said "We clearcoat everything". Then, I brought the tank and sidecovers in, and as diplomatically as possible, I proved to him that they hadn't clearcoated my stuff. He agreed to repaint the tank and clearcoat everything over the winter, if i did the prep work.

Later, I inadvertently damaged that tank while it was off the bike in my garage. (This type of thing happens when you have a beer refrigerator in your garage/workshop!!!) That tank had already had a lot of damage repair, with lots of Bondo, etc. from a previous owner, and the interior needed de-rusting and sealing treatment, and I didn’t want to beat a dead horse with that tank anymore.

So, I got another tank that is in reasonable condition and I’m starting from scratch. I figured that if I prep it myself and bring it to the shop in primer, they would not know it’s a different tank. I suppose it really doesn’t matter, they owe me a repaint on a tank, who cares which tank?

Anyway, yesterday, it became a moot point. I completely stripped the replacement tank with chemical stripper and abrasive 3M pads, etc., and found out that one of the dents just at/above the left side Suzuki emblem will need to be pulled out. Simply applying Bondo won’t work. I think that the way this gets done is by welding small pins to the outside of the dent, then pulling the pins with a slide hammer, then grinding the pins off. That stuff is over my head.

So, I’ll probably end up just taking the tank to the shop, as is, stripped to bare metal, and just pay them to finish the job.

Another alternative is to go to a different body shop, pay them to pull the dent, and then finish the prep work myself, and then go back to the first body shop for the repaint.

Geez, this GS repair/maintenance stuff can be a pain in the a$$. I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment!

[duaneage]

If your going to turn it over to A shop I would find another place. You already know they didn't do it right the first time so don't reward them with any more work or money. This way you feel better and they don't get the best of you.

Tanks are a pain in the a$$ alright. From rust to dents it never ends. And a bike is usually judged first by the tank before anything else.